Andy Onchan Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 ECOBOB - how are things down in the Valley? Did all of those affected by the flooding get what they were entitled to from IOMG? And the ARUP enquiry.... what's the news on that 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobob Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 Work carries on. The portion of the wall that was taken down to allow the river running down the road to go back into the river has been rebuilt, as has the four metre gap left unsecured by the contractors the night before the heavy rainfall. A decision has been made to leave a three metre gap in the wall directly opposite the house that suffered the worst flooding (1.8 metres high). It’s currently blocked up with sand bags and flood defence jigsaw pieces but a flood gate is on order and is expected to be installed in nine weeks. The purpose of this is to allow MUA workers access to the river for future maintenance. Let’s hope they remember to close it when they’re finished. Government paid everyone affected £500 and is paying for the ‘independent’ enquiry. The findings are due mid March. Other payments were also made by the Rotary club and an independent party who collected money on the residents’ behalf. Two more families have moved back into their homes but the rest of the houses are not expected to be ready for habitation for some months yet. The contractors are here from early morning until late afternoon every day. The road has reopened but getting through during working hours is challenging. Night times are spooky as it’s like a ghost town. People are still displaced and are suffering. Even for those of us in our homes anything is far from normal. We’ve just had our walls replastered and our floor boards put back down but furniture is still in storage until it’s all redecorated The bedroom has become the living room which is all very weird but then I’ve never minded a bit of weirdness and we’re still a lot better off than those who lost every single thing. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 £500....? For having your home ruined and your life turned upside down for months on end? How much do they give farmers in grants again? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 2 hours ago, ecobob said: Work carries on. The portion of the wall that was taken down to allow the river running down the road to go back into the river has been rebuilt, as has the four metre gap left unsecured by the contractors the night before the heavy rainfall. A decision has been made to leave a three metre gap in the wall directly opposite the house that suffered the worst flooding (1.8 metres high). It’s currently blocked up with sand bags and flood defence jigsaw pieces but a flood gate is on order and is expected to be installed in nine weeks. The purpose of this is to allow MUA workers access to the river for future maintenance. Let’s hope they remember to close it when they’re finished. Government paid everyone affected £500 and is paying for the ‘independent’ enquiry. The findings are due mid March. Other payments were also made by the Rotary club and an independent party who collected money on the residents’ behalf. Two more families have moved back into their homes but the rest of the houses are not expected to be ready for habitation for some months yet. The contractors are here from early morning until late afternoon every day. The road has reopened but getting through during working hours is challenging. Night times are spooky as it’s like a ghost town. People are still displaced and are suffering. Even for those of us in our homes anything is far from normal. We’ve just had our walls replastered and our floor boards put back down but furniture is still in storage until it’s all redecorated The bedroom has become the living room which is all very weird but then I’ve never minded a bit of weirdness and we’re still a lot better off than those who lost every single thing. Thanks for the update Bob. What's the score on insurance, will insurers renew on the same terms and premiums when the time comes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gettafa Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Non-Believer said: £500....? For having your home ruined and your life turned upside down for months on end? How much do they give farmers in grants again? Ask the Chief Minister. He'll tell you exactly. It's about a wheelbarrow full of cash each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 44 minutes ago, Andy Onchan said: Thanks for the update Bob. What's the score on insurance, will insurers renew on the same terms and premiums when the time comes? Alex Allinson said that the government was talking to insurers to see if a way could be found for insurance not to be loaded with extra risk premiums. It wasn't clear whether this would be achieved through government assurances about the efficacy of the flood defence work or by them making an underwriting guarantee. This was in the immediate aftermath and I have no idea if it transpired. Perhaps Bob would have an update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobob Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Andy Onchan said: Thanks for the update Bob. What's the score on insurance, will insurers renew on the same terms and premiums when the time comes? That’s a good question. At the moment no insurance companies will insure any new house purchases with this postcode. Neighbours have seen their £400 per annum insurance premium rocket to, in one case that I know of, £2400. My premium was due in December and only increased by £30 but that was because my claim hadn’t been settled. I was so disgusted by the way my claim had been handled (official complaint and enquiry ongoing) that I asked my broker (Robin Blackford - who has been the only shining light on the insurance front and who I would recommend without exception) to find me another insurance company. It was he who told me that no insurance company would take me on due to my location. At present, the only option to keep premiums down is to ask at renewal for insurance without flood cover. It may be that the Insurance companies will make individual or combined class actions against the government to cover their losses but I couldn’t possibly comment any further on that. To do that may signify that they are under no doubt that the reason for the ‘flood’ was negligence but let’s see what the government funded independent enquiry comes up with mid March. Edited February 22, 2020 by ecobob Missed out a word. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 2 hours ago, ecobob said: .....but let’s see what the government funded independent enquiry comes up with mid March. Nobody to blame, nothing to see, lessons will be learned and promotions all round... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 26 minutes ago, Non-Believer said: Nobody to blame, nothing to see, lessons will be learned and promotions all round... ...not our fault...unprecedented weather...climate emergency... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holte End Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 5 hours ago, Non-Believer said: £500....? For having your home ruined and your life turned upside down for months on end? How much do they give farmers in grants again? Yes but if like the farmers they would get more money if they let the houses stay fallow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecobob Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 On 2/22/2020 at 2:23 PM, Non-Believer said: Nobody to blame, nothing to see, lessons will be learned and promotions all round... On 2/22/2020 at 2:51 PM, TheTeapot said: ...not our fault...unprecedented weather...climate emergency... I think, with both anecdotal and photographic/video evidence there can be no doubt that the reason so much water came down the Glen Road around 7am on the morning of the flood was the unsecured hole in the wall and the placement of the digger in the river with forty+ ton bags of sand left around it for protection created a 'dam' that exacerbated the diversion of the water from the river to the road. There is no doubt that the collection of trees in the now demolished weir created a back flow that lead to the overtopping of the wall at around 10am. The wall collapsed shortly after that. The collection of trees was down to the lack of maintenance and the failure of government to follow the recommendations following the floods in 2015. To my mind there is no way government can get out of that one. The hole in the wall however is another matter. If I was a betting man I would say that the findings will show that this was primary reason for the flood and I would further bet that at that point the government will deny culpability and lay the blame firmly on the contractors who failed to follow the risk assessment. And I think we can all guess what will happen next. So you're right - for the trees and the lack of maintenance and the failure to follow the recommendations from 2015 it will be 'lessons learned now lets move on". For the hole in the wall? Well, lets see… 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Onchan Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Well ARUP have produced their report but it can't be published..... yet. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=55281&headline=Flood report will not be published yet§ionIs=news&searchyear=2020&cat=Environment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilp Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 We'll probably never see all of it, let's hope insurers demand the full report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 1 minute ago, Andy Onchan said: Well ARUP have produced their report but it can't be published..... yet. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=55281&headline=Flood report will not be published yet§ionIs=news&searchyear=2020&cat=Environment Yes, saw this the other day. Garff MHKs grumbling because it's not been released. H.Q. says it's because it needs to be seen by COMIN first. And they're still waiting for the special order of an indelible black marker with an extremely broad nib to arrive.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Power Posted April 23, 2020 Share Posted April 23, 2020 Reports commissioned by governments tend to say what the government want you to hear, with just enough ambiguity to not be totally biased in their favour. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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